Ohio Senate President Tom Niehaus (R) announced that the Senate Republicans plan to advance a "heartbeat bill" that has already passed the House. If passed by the Senate and signed by the Governor, the law would ban abortions after the fetal heartbeat is detected. This could occur as early as 6 weeks following conception before many women are even aware they are pregnant. The bill, which passed the Ohio House in June by a vote of 54-44 has no exceptions for rape or incest.
Currently Republicans hold the majority in the Ohio Senate. If passed, the law would directly challenge the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, which allows women to obtain abortion services until fetal viability at 22-24 weeks and would be one of the most restrictive laws on abortion in the country.
Media Resources: NewsMax 11/28/11; Cleveland Plain Dealer 11/25/11
6/19/2013 House Passes 20 Week Abortion Ban - Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved a nationwide abortion ban after 20 weeks gestation in a vote of 228 to 196. . . .
6/18/2013 Supreme Court Strikes Down Proof of Citizenship Voter Requirements - On Monday, the United States Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed register to vote.
In an opinion written [PDF] by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Court ruled that the Arizona statute violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA, also known as the "Motor Voter Law") of 1993, which created a federal form that individuals can mail in to register to vote in federal elections. . . .
